The present invention is applicable to food processors of the type having a working bowl with motor-driven tool drive means projecting into the bowl with which various selected rotary food processing tools can be engaged to be driven for performing various processing operations on food items in accordance with the desires of the user. A removable cover is secured over the top of the bowl during use. The cover includes a feed tube having a passageway which opens downwardly through the cover into the top of the bowl, and food items to be processed are placed in the feed tube and then are pushed down through the feed tube into the bowl by means of a removable food pusher which is adapted to slide down in the manner of a plunger through this feed tube. The food items are sliced or otherwise processed by the rotating tool located near the top of the bowl.
Additional information with respect to such food processors may be obtained by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,892,365 - Verdun; 3,985,304 - Sontheimer; 4,198,887 -Williams; 4,200,244 - Sontheimer; 4,216,917 - Clare and Sontheimer; 4,213,570 - Jones; 4,226,373 - Williams; and 4,227,655 -Williams.
Of particular interest to the present invention are food processing tools which are used for a slicing or cutting function for slicing or cutting fruits, vegetables and/or meat products. Such slicing tools have a horizontal disc-like member formed of sheet metal, preferably of stainless steel, which is mounted on elongated hub extending down into the bowl and which is coupled near its lower end to the motor-driven tool drive means which extends upwardly out of a housing for the motor drive. Generally, a horizontal cutting blade or structure is associated with or mounted upon the horizontal disc-like member near an opening in the disc. Thus, when food items are cut, they pass down through this opening into the bottom of the bowl.
One such rotary processing tool has the disc-like member mounted on an offset hub as described in the aforesaid Williams Pat. No. 4,227,655. This tool is particularly advantageous in that the slicing blade extends for substantially the entire radius of the disc-like member thereby advantageously enabling the slicing of larger food items for any given size of tool. Although the tool with offset hub as disclosed in this Williams patent provides an excellent advance in the art in permitting the slicing of larger food items, the blade and cutting structure in this tool as well as in other disc-like processor tools are generally characterized by extending to a level equal to or above the horizontal disc-like surface. This elevated position of the slicing blade can allow the blade to distort on the disc surface when attempting to slice very tough or frozen food items. Also, this elevated position of the slicing blade can cause difficulty when attempting to slice soft, hollow food items, or food items with internal cavities, for example such as tomatoes, peppers or squash which tend to distort or expand beyond the edge of the horizontal disc when they are applied to the top of that disc. This distortion of such food items is augmented by the elevated mounting structure of the blade being elevated above the disc.